SIAMESE twins Monde and Nomonde Mokoena made headlines in Mzansi back in 1997. The two girls from Vosloorus, Ekurhuleni were born with their bodies joined on 14 April. They were separated during a 12-hour operation in September that year.
Raising the twins wasn’t easy for mum Johanna Mokoena (46), but luckily she got a care dependancy grant for each of them since 2001. When the girls turned 18 in April this year, officials stopped their grants.
Johanna enquired from Sassa, where she was told that she’d need to apply for disability grants. She got a shock when a Sassa doctor told her the applications were unsuccessful.
“I told the doctor I need to buy food and clothes for my daughters, and I don’t work,” she said.
“Monde has lung problems and Nomonde needs a hearing aid.”
Sassa spokeswoman Nandi Mosia said the twins’ care dependancy grant lapsed when they turned 18 as stipulated by law.
She confirmed that the twins’ disability grant applications had been rejected.
She added that they were advised to apply for Sassa’s internal reconsideration mechanism, which they did, but that it also was unsuccessful.
An urgent request was subsequently lodged with the internal tribunal for social assistance appeals on 19 June.
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